Why use Granicus’ Targeted Messaging Service (TMS)?

Organisations which currently use govDelivery know the value of being able to reach out to large networks of constituents and achieve high engagement rates (median 45 per cent). But what if you could go a step beyond that to reach out to citizens one-to-one, on a personal level? It would be a crucial component in helping to drive your outcomes.

Our Targeted Messaging Service (TMS) can help with these efforts. Targeted messages can include an acknowledgment of signing up for a particular service, a reminder about a licence or programme registration renewal, or even a bill reminder. It allows for millions of personalised messages to be sent at once, which saves printing, labour, and postage costs while still connecting with citizens directly.

By using TMS, not only will your organisation be able to connect with your audience in a purposeful and outcome-focused way, but your messages will be personalised, increasing the chances of audience engagement and the desired action being carried out by the recipient. For example, a tax renewal notification message could include the name of the recipient, how many days left before their tax expires, and a call to action telling them how they can renew (for example, their car tax, or pay a bill). Plus, the whole process is automated, saving you time and effort.

How can TMS support government work, especially when it comes to being more citizen-centric? Here are the top three ways that TMS can help drive public sector outcomes:

1. Save time and resources

Targeted messaging can help you connect with your target audience at the right moment and bring the desired outcome faster and with less strain on resources. TMS will allow the sending of millions of messages simultaneously, which encourage citizens to take action.

Here’s an example:
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles needed to digitise their transactions in order to save postage costs and modernise the citizen experience. By sending out over 5.5 million electronic messages per year in the form of registration confirmations, licence reminders, registration renewal reminders and inspection reminders, the organisation was able to save $1 million in total postage costs and an average of 28 minutes wait-time per person.

2. Improve citizens’ access to services and the info they need

Giving citizens choice about when and how they receive information about the things that matter to them is an important element of delivering a positive customer experience. When citizens visit your website in search of a specific service, they may want to save that info for even easier access and reference at a later date. Giving people the option to receive it by email or text can help create an opportunity for the recipient to easily share the content/service with others, therefore extending the reach and potential impact of your programmes.

3. Increase return on investment (ROI)

When you appeal to and connect with a broader audience, the chances of achieving a good return on (marketing/outreach) investment are much higher. In other words, the more people you reach with your message, the higher the citizen participation level and likelihood of bringing about the desired outcome.

For example, the more council tax payers you reach, the more tax you’ll recoup. Or, the more people with diabetes you reach (reminding them about check-up appointments), the better the appointment show-up rate and the higher the likelihood of timely advice and treatment.

Here’s an example:
The U.S. Small Business Administration wanted to enter the 21st century with their communications so that disaster victims could quickly access the resources that they needed when the time came. The solution developed targeted emails for SBA disaster loan applications and provided a delivery report that let the agency see when messages bounced and who did not receive the vital information. The result was 350,000 messages being sent with an increase of 79 per cent in electronic loan applications (ELA) within one year.

4. Have a greater impact

By connecting with your audience consistently and on a large scale with TMS, you’ll be able to make an impact on a larger scale. So often in government, the information communicated to the public can be critical – even a matter of life and death. By leveraging TMS, you’ll have the greatest opportunity to reach your audience with this important information at the right moment, on the devices already in the palm of their hands.

Here’s an example:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation considers their job of notifying citizens of vehicle recalls a matter of life and death. They wanted to do a better job of targeted recall notification emails and remediation information while also tracking delivery statistics. The result was one million recall notifications per quarter (or around four million per year) with a much higher degree of delivery confidence. There was also the removal of the impact to their internal email system trying to send the massive amount of required communications.

Want to learn more about TMS and see how your organisation could use it to drive better outcomes? Check out the govDelivery solutions page here.